Chapter 2 Caught in the Crossfire

I thought Preston would step in and get me out of this.

Instead, he didn't even look at me. He walked straight over to Hailey, wrapped one arm around her, and kissed her. "Still as wild as ever. Looks like you won't behave unless I teach you a lesson."

His hand instinctively slipped inside Hailey's clothes, but he caught me watching out of the corner of his eye.

He froze. "Since you can't go back yet, stay here and behave yourself. Don't cause us any trouble. Also, don't go wandering off. If you get yourself killed, don't expect anyone to come looking for you."

His voice was cold, his expression distant, as though we'd never known each other.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it either.

We'd spoken on the phone barely half an hour ago.

"Fine. I won't cause you any trouble, Mr. Wallace. I'll take care of myself."

Preston paused, seemingly surprised that I'd agreed so readily. But a moment later, he carried Hailey back to their tent.

…

The next night, after being exposed to the sea breeze, I came down with a high fever. I forced myself to make it to the camp infirmary to get some medicine.

However, the moment I stepped through the infirmary door, a bullet whizzed past my cheek, burying itself in the wooden wall behind me.

I slowly turned around. The bullet had come so close that it had missed my head by a hair's breadth.

"Damn, where'd that stray bullet come from? Talk about bad timing."

Hailey was wiping down her standard-issue pistol. A faint wisp of smoke still lingered at the muzzle. "What are you staring at? Never seen someone fire a gun before?"

One of her subordinates stepped forward and pointed at me. "Keep staring, and I'll gouge your eyes out! Who do you think you are, watching Hailey shoot?"

Hailey stopped the woman, then raised her pistol and aimed it straight at me. She was treating me like a live target, amusement and malice gleaming in her eyes.

I refused to back down.

I drew the subordinate's gun and pointed it straight at Hailey. "If you so much as hurt me today, I'll give you exactly the same in return."

Just because I hadn't fought back before didn't mean I couldn't.

Yesterday, I'd been physically weak and new to the camp, so I couldn't risk provoking a confrontation, but that didn't mean I was someone they could push around.

"How dare you point a gun at me!"

Hailey's eyes flashed with sudden malice as she thrust her pistol forward. The muzzle pressed hard against my forehead.

I wasn't afraid either. I swiftly chambered a round and pressed the muzzle firmly against her chin.

We stood there with our guns trained on each other, the tension nearly unbearable.

At that critical moment, a stern figure rushed toward us.

"Ah!" A gunshot rang out, and a bullet struck my left leg.

It was Preston, again.

Whenever Hailey was provoked, or a conflict arose around her, he would fall into a state of retrograde amnesia, with her becoming the only person on his mind.

Whenever she wasn't around, his memories would return, and he'd become the devoted man consumed by guilt who couldn't stop thinking about me.

Warm blood streamed down my pant leg and dripped into the dirt.

"This is a high-risk field base. Guns aren't toys! Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to get into an armed standoff like that? Let getting shot this time teach you a lesson."

"Was I at fault?" I fought through the pain, my voice hoarse as I cut him off. "She pointed her gun at me first! That stray bullet just now missed my head by a hair's breadth. It could have blown my brains out!"

Preston gave Hailey a brief, indifferent glance.

"That's a lie! I was just practicing. She barged in without watching where she was going, then drew a gun on me for no reason. I had no choice."

I was about to argue back, but he cut me off sharply. "Whatever started this, you were still wrong to get into an armed standoff!"

He raised a hand coldly, signaling to the people nearby. "Get her leg bandaged."

The matter could have ended there. But just as two field operatives stepped forward to lift me, Hailey stopped them.

"This is an overseas special operations base. She's an outsider who's temporarily staying here, so she should know how to behave. Now, she's openly used a gun against field personnel. According to the rules, insiders and outsiders alike must be punished."